ERP that handles distributors, shop sales, and expiry dates
in one place.
Van sales matched in minutes. Nearest-expiry-first at the pick. Trade promotions priced at order entry, not after the dispute.
7 wks
Typical go-live
10 min
End-of-day matching
Enforced
Expiry-first picking
Common Challenges
The problems you already know.
Van drivers running on paper. Near-expiry stock found in week 51 of 52. Trade schemes worked out by guesswork. ERP fixes this, but only if it's set up the way FMCG distribution really works.
Van sales on paper, matched up at the end of the day
Drivers carry a notepad and a price list. Returns, swaps, and cash are matched by hand every evening. Errors slip through. Unsold stock never gets counted right.
How we solve it
Van sales handled through a mobile app. Driver loads stock on screen, records each sale live, and closes the session with sold, returned, and cash matched for them. End-of-day takes 10 minutes.
Expiry tracked by hand, or not at all
Near-expiry stock sits in the warehouse while fresh stock gets picked first. By the time someone spots it, it's too late to push the product. Write-offs are common and unplanned.
How we solve it
Nearest-expiry-first picking is enforced at the warehouse and in the van. Near-expiry alerts fire on their own. You know weeks ahead which batches need to move, with time to run a deal or push them.
Trade scheme rules worked out by hand by the sales team
Salespeople apply discounts and free goods by hand, often differently. Schemes applied to customers who don't qualify. Schemes missed where they should be. Billing errors cause disputes.
How we solve it
Trade promotions set up by SKU, customer tier, volume, and date range. Pricing rules apply on order entry. Every eligible customer gets exactly what they qualify for. No more, no less.
Retailer credit limits crossed with no one noticing
Sales team takes orders from retailers already past due. Finance finds out at month-end. Collection turns sour because the retailer's taken more credit than agreed.
How we solve it
Credit limits set per retailer. Van drivers and office sales staff see the credit status before they confirm any order. Orders blocked when the limit is crossed unless a supervisor overrides.
How It Works
Your distribution, start to finish, in one system.
From goods receipt to retailer collection, every step in one place.
Goods Receipt
Stock received with batch and expiry entered at the dock. Nearest-expiry-first queue updated right away.
Van Loading
Driver loads against an approved load order. System records exact quantities per SKU loaded.
Route Sales
Driver visits retailers, records sales and returns on mobile. Credit limit checked live.
Trade Schemes
Pricing rules apply on order entry. Eligible customers get the right scheme price.
End-of-Day Match
Van session closed with sold, returned, and cash matched. Differences flagged right away.
Collection
Outstanding retailer balances tracked per route. Collection targets set and watched.
ERPNext Modules
What we set up for your trade.
Not every part of the system matters for FMCG distribution. These are the ones that do, set up for van sales, batches, and route-to-market.
Van Sales
Full van sales steps from morning load to end-of-day matching. Live stock and cash view per driver.
- Digital van loading against an approved load order
- Mobile sales entry per customer visit with live pricing
- End-of-day matching of sold, returned, and cash collected
Batch & Expiry Tracking
Every product tracked by batch and expiry date from goods receipt to final sale. Nearest-expiry-first picking enforced.
- Nearest-expiry-first picking in warehouse and van sales
- Near-expiry alerts set by buffer days per SKU
- Full batch trace from supplier to end retailer
Trade Promotions
Pricing rules, volume discounts, and free goods schemes set per customer tier, SKU, and date range. Applied at order entry.
- Volume-based discounts and free goods triggers
- Customer tier pricing applied for you
- Promotion period enforced with auto expiry
Route & Beat Planning
Salesperson routes and retailer visit schedules run in the system. Coverage is steady and performance is measurable.
- Route per salesperson with beat schedule
- Visit frequency tracked per retailer
- Planned vs actual to measure route adherence
Retailer Credit Control
Credit limits enforced at order entry for both office sales and van sales. Overdue amounts visible to the right team.
- Credit limit check on every order and van load
- Overdue amounts visible to driver and sales supervisor
- Collection target tracking per route and salesperson
Warehouse & Distribution
Inbound goods receipt with batch tagging, picking steps, and outbound dispatch in one warehouse tool.
- Goods receipt with batch and expiry entered at the dock
- Pick lists made by nearest-expiry-first for each dispatch
- Multi-location stock with inter-warehouse transfers
Client Result
A real FMCG implementation.
The Situation
Hive Foods makes premium honey cakes. Beautiful product, brutal logistics. Ten-day shelf life. Two legal entities, one produces, one trades. Every day, finished goods have to move between them via intercompany entries before distribution can even begin. Ten delivery vans hitting Carrefour, Lulu, mall outlets. Returns coming back from shelves at expiry. Online sales through Shopify. POS in six malls. And they were planning to do all of this in five countries. The brief wasn't 'implement ERP.' It was: 'figure out how to run all of this on one system without breaking the cake.'
What We Did
We built it the way Hive operates, entity by entity, country by country. Daily intercompany flow handled through ERPNext's native sales-and-purchase entries, automated. Production process modelled around how they actually make the cake: batter, layers, finished goods, batched at every stage. A custom batch traceability and expiry report. A driver app that handles deliveries and returns on the road, with credit notes issued on-site. Shopify pumping live data into ERPNext. POS profiles for six UAE malls and Oman outlets, all on one instance. Multi-entity replication across UAE, Kuwait, Oman, KSA, and India, five countries on a unified ERPNext, with country-specific compliance and a consolidated multi-currency report. Talabat, Noon, and an Android POS with card payment SDK are on the way. They're our most operationally complex client. Also one of the most enjoyable to work with.
Outcomes
Intercompany daily transfer process
Structured and automated in ERPNext
Batch expiry visibility
Real-time, from production through to shelf
Driver return processing
On-site via mobile app, same trip
Countries on unified ERPNext
5 (UAE, Kuwait, Oman, KSA, India)
Questions
Questions FMCG companies ask us.
How does the van sales tool work day to day?
Each morning, the driver gets an approved load order and loads stock against it. On the route, they record each sale on a phone: customer, items, quantities, any returns. Pricing rules apply on their own. At end of route, the driver closes the session. The system matches what was loaded, what was sold, what was returned, and what cash was collected. Minutes, not hours.
Can the system enforce nearest-expiry-first picking?
Yes. When a pick list is made for warehouse dispatch or van loading, the system picks the batch with the nearest expiry first. If you try to pick a later-expiry batch by hand, the system flags it. Near-expiry alerts can be set up to tell the warehouse manager and sales team when batches are within a set number of days, with time to run a deal or targeted dispatch.
Our trade promotions change every month. How easy is it to update them?
Trade promotions are set up as pricing rules with a start and end date, the customers or customer groups they apply to, the SKUs that qualify, and the benefit, discount percent, fixed price, or free goods. Your sales or marketing team can update these without IT. Old promotions expire on their end date. New ones turn on at their start date.
Can drivers see a retailer's credit status before they sell?
Yes. The van sales screen shows the retailer's credit limit, current outstanding balance, and whether they're within limit before the driver confirms a sale. If the limit is past, the order is blocked. A supervisor can override if needed. Most of our FMCG clients see informal credit creep stop on day one.
Do you work with existing van tracking or mobile apps?
Built-in mobile screens work on Android and iOS, no separate app needed. For firms using a specific van tracking or route planning tool, we check the link-up options during discovery. In most cases, our mobile screens replace the paper process with no third-party link needed.
FMCG Distribution ERP
Send us a driver's day.
Send us last month's trade scheme sheet and a typical driver's day. We'll show you exactly how the system would price the orders and match the van, using your real SKUs. No generic demo.
We typically respond within a few hours during UAE business hours.